Big Demand for Normandy World Equestrian Games Tickets Crashes Web Site
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CAEN, France, Nov. 19, 2013–Bigger demand than expected for tickets for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy crashed the official web set when passes went on sale, and the organizing committee reported Tuesday extra computer capacity has been added to handle orders.
Demand was “a lot bigger than we expected,” said Fabien Grobon, chief executive officer of the 2014 WEG Organizing Committee, with as many as 2,000 people on line at the same time ordering tickets for the event from Aug. 23 to Sept. 7.
Sales have been so fast with about 150,000 tickets sold already for the disciplines of dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, jumping, vaulting and reining as well as para dressage. That is already about 30,000 ahead of projections, making it the largest sports event in France in 2014. Tickets for the Final Four of jumping are being snapped up within 15 minutes of going on line.
“We are looking at adding more tickets,” he said in a briefing for the media around the world.
Tickets first went on sale in June within France and were available to the rest of the world beginning Monday at prices well below those charged at the WEG in Kentucky in 2010. Parking of private vehicles for events will be free.
The passes-tickets for multiple events–that are currently being offered can be ordered here.
Dressage-news.com based in Wellington, Florida went on line to order passes and found the web site very responsive. Tickets were selected, registration completed and payment made with a credit card in less than 2 1/2 minutes.
The main stadium in Caen that will host the dressage and jumping will probably be limited to 15,000 spectator because television cameras, VIP areas and other elements will reduce seating from the 21,000 normally available for soccer games.
The hottest tickets are for jumping and eventing.
A total of 3,200 volunteers will be recruited for the Games, Fabien Grobon said. Interviews of the more than 4,834 candidates from France, Chile, Mexico, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Spain, Canada, Germany Great Britain and the United States are well underway.
